Production Database System – A Nature Conservation Firm

Our client, BCM, is one of the green treasures of the Forest Preserve District of Cook County and is accredited by the American Association of Museums. The museum is managed by the Chicago Horticultural Society and is a 385-acre living plant museum featuring 23 distinct display gardens surrounded by lakes as well as a prairie and woodlands. The museum opened to the public in 1972 and offers a broad array of adult classes in plant science, landscape design and gardening arts.

Challenge

BCM was using dBaseIII to track the progress of their plants from propagation to production. The database was out of date and was lacking in functionality, versatility and ease of use. Only one person could work on a specific record in the database at a time, preventing the staff from using their time efficiently.

In addition, there was a need to expand functionality and reporting capabilities to reduce duplication of effort by staff members and provide the growers with up to date information they needed to perform their jobs. It was important that the application be user-friendly and intuitive while providing users quick and easy access to the information they needed.

Solution

alligatortek was selected to develop a customized solution that would help the museum replace its outdated system on dBase III. The solution was a relational database application that can now be accessed by multiple users simultaneously in different departments. Initially, SQL Server 2000 was selected as the database platform with Microsoft Access 2003 as the front-end platform. The platforms have since been updated to the latest versions of SQL Server and Microsoft Access.

The museum employees and volunteers now have simultaneous, quick-and-easy access to plant production specifications and are able to perform their jobs more accurately and more efficiently.

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